Sports

Anthony Joshua: 'My heritage is Nigerian, I come from the Yoruba people'

Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 10:47 AM by Akan Anwankwo 3 min read

- Anthony Joshua was proud to claim he was Nigerian at the Common Wealth ceremony at Westminister Abbey

- The 30-year-old will defend his heavyweight titles against Bulgarian fight Kubrat Pulev

- Joshua will likely face the winner of the trilogy between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder

Anthony Joshua was loud and proud of his Nigerian heritage during the Common Wealth ceremony at Westminister Abbey, video cited on Twitter.

The WBO, IBO, IBF and WBA champion gave an inspirational speech that acknowledged his roots despite being born in England.

The 30-year-old who is preparing to defend his titles against Pulev in June was dressed in a black suit and he stood on the podium and said.

“My name is Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua and, like many of you here, I’m a child of the Commonwealth.

“I was born in Watford and my heritage is Nigerian. I come from the Yoruba people, who are the largest and some might say the loudest ethnic group in all of Africa. I’m proudly Nigerian and proudly British.

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”Like me, so many children of the commonwealth have two homes, two identities, two cultures, some even have more than two.

“These days we hear so much about division and difference that some might be tempted to see that as a bad thing. But on the contrary, it’s a beautiful thing. A thing to be celebrated and cherished, and a great source of peace and stability.

“I feel opportunity should be there for the taking along with hard work, dedication, and perseverance, regardless of one’s background. We need to strive harder collectively in order to create unity.

Joshua said: “So here’s to fish and chips, egusi soup and pounded yam. To the UK and Nigeria, and the children of the Commonwealth.”

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that Rio Ferdinand has recalled the time he felt Cristiano Ronaldo was given too much liberty after former boss Alex Ferguson gave him a break after the death of his father, cited on Daily Star.

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The Portuguese star lost his father in his second year with Man United when the tragic incident happened and he was let go for some days.

But Ferdinand thought otherwise after the legendary boss Ferguson gave Ronaldo a couple of days off after receiving the tragic news.

“His dad had passed away and Sir Alex Ferguson gave him a few days off, he had gone back to Portugal.

“I’m there thinking it's a f****** liberty, as bad as it is.

“I look back now and think you have to be a bit softer but at the time I'm thinking we need him this weekend, we need to win this game,” Ferdinand said on High Performance Podcast.

Ronaldo went on to win three Premier League titles, two League Cups, one FA Cup and the Champions League, altogether playing 292 games and scored 118 goals.

He joined then joined Real Madrid for world record £80million fee in 2008 and played nine seasons for Los Blancos winning several trophies including four Champions League title.